Training

Introduction to Senior Mediation

Senior Mediation and Decision-Making offers a two- or three-day Introduction to Elder Mediation for experienced mediators and interested professionals. The interactive, skills-based training includes:

  • defining elder mediation
  • ways in which elder mediation differs from other mediations
  • the importance of intake
  • ageism and bias
  • the aging process and its possible impact on mediation
  • capacity issues
  • accommodating cognitive impairment or other challenges
  • use of support persons
  • family dynamics
  • recognizing and responding to elder abuse
  • ethical considerations including self-determination, necessary participants, ensuring the older person’s voice is heard, role of advocates, and mediator competence
  • legal and financial issues including guardianship, health care, end-of-life issues, and financial planning.

All participants receive our 140-page manual, “Elder Mediation Today: Manual and Resource Guide" (2009).

Mediation and Conflict Resolution for Aging Services Professionals

We have developed four to eight-hour trainings on conflict resolution skills development and introduction to mediation as continuing professional education for social workers, nurses, lawyers, geriatric care managers, aging agency managers, and other professionals who serve older persons and their families.

Master Class for Experienced Mediators

We have developed a four-hour “Master Class for Experienced Mediators” focusing on such topics as what's different about elder mediation, capacity concerns and accommodations to enhance participation, fostering self-determination, and recognizing elder abuse and its effect on self-determination and quality of the process.

Senior Decision-Making

We offer presentations from an hour to half-day to seniors, family members, caregivers and others on planning and senior decision-making that may involve family members, health care, legal, financial and housing resources. We help participants learn how to have difficult conversations through personal skills development, coaching, facilitation, and mediation services. We make such presentations to family councils, residents, staff and families at assisted living and independent living facilities, senior centers and other venues.We provide Senior Mediation and Decision-Making’s “Consumer’s Guide to Senior Mediation” and other materials in our presentations.

Locations and costs: We invite opportunities to partner with departments of aging, mediation programs, bar associations, law schools, foundations, assisted living communities, and others to promote senior mediation and decision-making training and services. Please contact Bob Rhudy (bobrhudy@yahoo.com) for information on scheduled trainings or presentations, to arrange for such services through your organization, and to develop contracts for trainings and presentations.